Elections officials had to turn away hundreds of people from Onondaga County voting booths Tuesday because they were not enrolled in the Republican or Democratic parties.

In one case, elections officials called the police on a town of Onondaga man who became irate when he was not allowed to vote at the polls at Truth Bible Fellowship in the Green Hills Plaza.

"He was enrolled Liberal and wanted to vote for (Barack) Obama. He was very angry. He wanted to vote. He wasn't going to leave," said county Elections Commissioner Helen Kiggins.

Unlike in some states, New York's primaries are closed. Only enrolled Democrats can vote for Democratic candidates. Only enrolled Republicans can vote for Republican candidates.

Kiggins said Thursday that in every primary election there are voters who don't know that rule who are turned away.

Often, voters who are not enrolled in a party mistakenly believe they are enrolled as a Republican or as a Democrat because they have regularly voted for those parties' candidates in general elections, Kiggins said.

Hundreds of voters who were not listed on Board of Elections records as registered Democrats or registered Republicans filled out affidavit ballots on Tuesday, Kiggins said.

In those cases, the board will double-check if the voter is enrolled in a party, Democratic or Republican. If the voter is not, their affidavit vote will not count, Kiggins said.